STOCKTON, CALIF. -- The top-ranked USC men's water polo team stumbled on the road today at Pacific's home pool as the No. 3 Tigers posted a 10-6 upset of the Trojans today in Stockton, Calif. USC and Pacific tangled in front of a packed house of 1,337 fans, and the Tigers fed off of the home-cooked energy. The loss ties up the Trojans and the Tigers at 2-1 apiece in the MPSF standings. USC is now 20-2 overall, and Pacific improves to 16-3.

The Trojans scored first in the matchup and clung to a tight 2-1 edge thanks to a pair of goals from Mace Rapsey early on. But Pacific leveled things and crept into a 3-2 lead at the close of the first period. Pacific piled up a 5-2 lead on the Trojans midway through the second frame before USC snapped back into action with a score from Nikola Vavic and a 5-meter penalty shot converted by Kostas Genidounias. that had the Trojans within a goal of their hosts, trailing 5-4 with 3:55 to go in the half. Pacific would benefit from a USC ejection later in the frame, finishing off the power play to take a 6-4 lead at the break.

USC would get no closer than that two-goal margin down the stretch as the Tigers pressed on, charged up by their crowd and anchored by a strong outing from goalie Alex Malkis, who finished with 16 saves in the game. Pacific created some extra room on the Trojans in sandwiching a Jeremy Davie strike with Tiger goals that had Pacific leading 8-5 entering the fourth. Genidounias delivered USC's lone blast of the final frame, while Pacific managed two more to hold court and finish off a 10-6 victory. It was USC's first loss to Pacific since 2002.

The Trojans have another NorCal road trip coming up next, as USC pays a visit to California in a Pac-12 Networks-televised match at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Nov. 9) in Berkeley.